


Future in the thorns

by Dinae



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood Drinking, Character Study, Fix-It of Sorts, Multi, Season/Series 03 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:01:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24459370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dinae/pseuds/Dinae
Summary: They don't leave. There's nothing in that wide world that could draw Sypha and Trevor away from the temptations of so much buried knowledge.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades, Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades
Comments: 14
Kudos: 154





	1. Beginning anew

Dawn comes to the castle before the blood in the hall is dry, and Alucard wonders when they will leave him. Surely two wanderers could not bear to stay, bequeathing their responsibilities to him. Before the sun has been up an hour, Trevor finds him in his father's study, and he braces himself for the parting of their company.

"Morning." Trevor greets then sighs, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He sounds tired, sore. "We were thinking..."

"Unusual for you but not so for Sypha," returns Alucard cooly.

Trevor waits a beat, coming around to rest half against the mantle. His head tips back. "If we left, how would you keep the rain off of the Belmont estate?"

"I suppose I could drag rubble over top of it," Alucard considers, "But I don't know much about maintaining the things inside." His father would have tasked a servant to take care of the books if he found himself short on time. He supposes both his parents had planned to teach him how to do it himself (particularly his mother, prizing self-sufficiency), but... clearly they had not gotten around to it.

"We should probably stay, at least to shore things up around here." Trevor's eye drops back down to find Alucard. "Is there room at the inn?" A smile twists onto his face.

"You might have to make do with a stable." But Alucard smiles just as wryly, a minute nod.

*

Sypha rises feeling worn and scraped over, after using so much magic and then reading so late. But there's too much to do, and she can't do it all in one day. As she combs her hair with her fingers, she pads down to the kitchen, following the scent of baking bread.

Alucard is there, who else would be baking so early? Trevor doesn't bake. They didn't even have a kitchen a week ago. She's never had a kitchen of her own, just a borrowed hearth and endless campfires.

"Trevor told you?" Her voice is soft from the door to his straight back. Her mind is flying in five different directions at once, and absently making notes to experiment with his powers to find out just far he can hear and see.

The dhampir shifts forward, hair falling over his face. "Told me what, Sypha?" It is meant to be brusque, but in the sun of the kitchen, warming with the dual heat of the light and oven, he can't be.

"That we want to stay. To learn what we can." To protect everything here.

"He did, in fact, tell me that. Presumptuous fool."

"I suppose we could live in the ruins of his home if need be," her tone sharpens, coming closer. She taps a finger to his bent spine and smiles as he stiffens in response.

Sypha settles opposite of Alucard's stance, her back to the counter, able to look at the bit of his face not obscured by his hair.

"You're getting flour in your locks. And what do you expect us to do? The door to the Belmont hoard is open. We couldn't even get down there without my magic until the stairs have been repaired. You don't seem that keen on protecting the precious knowledge of their ages, let alone yours. I need to organize it all and see what is on the verge of being destroyed by the ravages of time, not to mention mold."

Alucard blinks and straightens, brushing his hair out of his eyes, tying it back fluidly. His mother used to do that for him, not wanting to cut it but not particularly wanting to find strands in her tea. "You want to become an archivist, in addition to being a speaker magician."

She nods. "At least until I can send for a caravan to help me memorize it. Unless you know of a faster way."

His eyebrow raises, but he doesn't want to tell her she couldn't invite people to the castle. He can trust other Speakers, can't he? "A faster way to reach them, or a faster way to memorize documents?"

A smile, then, flickering over her features. Oh, living with someone who knows more than her will be fun. "Why, do you know of a spell like that? Or a spell to make three of me?"

"Pardon?" Unbidden, a bit of blood rushes to his cheeks. He turns to hide it, checking on the bread before it can burn. Not that he needed to check with his eyes, but she doesn't know that, does she?

Blithely, Sypha prattles on, wanting to know about all the spells he's heard of, and the books his father collected, and where from, and when from. Eventually, Trevor finds his way down to the kitchen, and their conversation lapses in favor of eating fresh bread around the table. It's... nice.

*

At first, Alucard only helps the mortals with things they cannot do themselves. Trevor decides what he wants to do first is to repair the stairs, but he needs a supply of timber. It only takes a few hours to find the right trees, fell them, and drag each near the entrance of the Belmont library. "I didn't know you were a carpenter," he snipes at the man.

Trevor smiles with a bit too much tooth. "That'd be you, right?" Distantly, he can hear Sypha laughing, and Alucard frowns for a moment before understanding. A smile flickers across his face. Before it has a chance to fall, Trevor asks for some tools. Alucard points him toward the two forge masters' supplies before turning away.

"Alucard?" Sypha calls as he nears the entrance of the castle again. "Come help me?"

He sighs, but at least she can be more polite about it. "No, I haven't come up with any spells to create multiples..."

"Not with that. Do you have materials I could use to repair the stitches on these books?"

"Let me see what I can find." He sighs again, but eventually he finds something in the kitchen, and then more variety in his mother's workshop. Only when he sets them by Sypha in his father's library does he notice something about her he hadn't picked up on before, likely too inattentive in regard to details like that while they were traveling and fighting.

She has holes in the elbows of her tunic, worn through. The hems of the sleeves are burnt. Does she even own spare clothing of that configuration? He tries to sketch out what the garments look like under her cloak, but it is a bit difficult. Alucard hovers in the library for a few minutes, trying to puzzle out what might be needed. Sypha is thankfully too absorbed in her work to notice.

"I don't understand how these are organized!" She had been too absorbed, rather. Alucard presses a hand to her shoulder to get her attention.

"I'll show you how he did things." Sypha makes a face at his avoidance of his father's name, but comes with him to the bookshelf. "They're shelved by subject, and then within that subject by the year it was produced— sometimes by date of acquisition, when a date could not be pinpointed."

"Why by subject rather than by author?" She looks puzzled, but within that puzzlement, a thirst. "Speakers sometimes say where a bit of information came from, or where, but we don't have an organizational method by subject."

"Mortals, even those attempting to take in large amounts of information to preserve it, as your people do, think on a mortal scale. In a century, who wrote the text with be largely meaningless— it may be an irrelevant bit of info compared to material therein."

"Interesting. Thank you for the help. Is there a subject list and order? Actually, labels would be more helpful. You must sleep sometimes, I can't rely on you to shelve things for me." Alucard chuckles, and retrieves squares of vellum to affix in the appropriate locations.

*

Only later does he return to the idea of repairing the holes in Sypha's clothes. He'd be accustomed to his parents' clothing, kept in good condition with minimal effort. Seeing these two go about their days without proper garments to protect them is discomfiting. All of the people in his father's court left their belongings behind, which means at the very least he has a lot of material to work with.

It's the middle of the night, Trevor and Sypha sleeping soundly in the same bed. There couldn't be any pretenses about what was going on, not when they were sharing the castle with him. Still, they tended to keep their things in different rooms. Alucard had caught them arguing about how oftens things were meant to be washed. Honestly it was more of a shock that they could bear sharing a bed, given Sypha's propensity for sleeping sitting up and Belmont's tendency to ball up. Not that he could pass comment on it to them, which would involve admitting he checked on them while they slept.

Soon enough he had both human's clothes and some thread to make a start. It was soothing enough, and the memories it brought were the kind that didn't make his breast ache. His mother had done this for his father, not because his father was incapable but because vampires simply did not care. Torn clothing and bloodstains couldn't matter, not to people who were past mortal desires. Alucard frowned at that incongruity between vampire philosophy with all of its apathy, and the more mundane reality of vampire predilections for pomp. His parents hadn't tried to shape his world view so directly.

Even when the repairs are done, neat hems in Sypha's fluid clothes (obviously handed down from male Speakers) and patches over the giant holes in the ever-sloven Trevor's few outfits, they seem to have far fewer than might be needed. He begins, slowly, to sort through the clothes of his father's court. Raman had a number of pieces that could be deconstructed and made into spare tunics and skirts for Sypha. Both Dragoslav and Zufall had a handful of shirts and trousers which would do well enough for Trevor. The results still need to be washed and carefully hemmed, but even that only takes another hour. In a fit of pique, Alucard carefully stitches a Belmont crest to the breast of one of Trevor's new shirts, chuckling softly.

The new and old fashions are mixed and replaced in their original locations long before dawn, and he lays down to catch a few hours of sleep before the other two can rise and start making noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I began this draft two months ago (right after I finished watching season 3). I found the events of that season inspiring in the worst way, and hopefully if nothing else this fic can be yet another cathartic fix-it. More chapters are drafted and planned!


	2. Our dhampirs are different

A few days after Alucard leaves the new clothes, Sypha comes to see him in his father's study, though day by day that description seems less accurate. She's consolidated the books that had been in here with the rest of the library, so the shelves are mostly bare. The straight, uncomfortable chair has been removed, too. That decision had been his-- it was far too painful to look upon, imagining his father grieving there hour after miserable hour. But... it had seemed unfriendly. To have a single chair that was far too much like a throne for comfort. He was no prince of the night.

Sypha enters without a knock, dropping down onto the cushions he'd set in front of the fire with a sigh. She has that look in her eyes, half tired from too much reading, half wanting to talk about some bit of knowledge she's just absorbed. Usually some long-forgotten language or people, occasionally some bit of lore only alluded to in one story she'd heard. Sometimes she's asked to see some land through one of the mirrors in the castle-- last time, it was a vast land far to the south and east, populated by exceedingly odd creatures. Though perhaps not so odd compared to the demons of Hell.

"What can I do for you this evening?" Alucard asks solicitously.

"I wanted to know about..." Sypha starts, and breaks off. Strange for her to consider her words so carefully when it comes to pursuing knowledge. She straightens such that Alucard can nearly hear her spine aligning. "About dhampirs."

"What about us?" Alucard chuckles, lightly.

"Everything, naturally."

He nods, covering some unease on this line of questioning— does she want to know as a Speaker? As herself? Is this about dhampirs generally, or himself specifically?

"Dhampirs are half-vampires, typically born to a vampire father and human mother. If the reverse is possible, it is not known to me." He pauses here, waiting to see if she'll break in before going on. "We can go out in the daylight, although some find it uncomfortable, at least according to my father. Dhampirs are about half as strong as well-fed vampire—"

"Do you? Feed?" Sypha looks away for a moment. "I mean half vampires, do they need to feed?"

A sigh gusts from him. He hasn't fed in front of them ever, with the exception of his coffin in Gresit, where there was an obvious source of blood to help heal his wounds. "We can feed on blood, both human and animal, just like full vampires."

"Is there such a thing as a quarter vampire? Could dhampirs have children?" This question produces a flush in both of them. Sypha's races down her neck and across to her ears whereas Alucard's is a muted dusting, noticeable only due to his pale coloration.

"I don't know from personal experience—"

"No, no, I didn't think so—" Sypha breaks in, shaking her head quickly with a breathless chuckle.

"But, according to my father, yes. He told me of a child that was three-quarters human and one-quarter vampire. Again, if the reverse is—"

She nods. "I haven't read about any cases in either instance." They sit for a moment in silence before the Speaker goes on. "Do dhampirs— I don't know how to phrase this. Do they have a heartbeat? I've read that vampires feel like the dead, rendered mobile only due to the blood they use as fuel. But do you—"

Alucard extends his hand, wrist up, catching one of Sypha's flailing hands as she speaks. Draws it to his own, so that she may feel his pulse.

They listen. Sypha leans closer as though it might help her feel his heart in some way, and he restrains a smile. Eventually she straightens again to meet his eyes, retracting her hand. "It seems a bit slow? I am not an expert, but—"

"That is something I remember my father telling me about the quarter human he knew of. Their heartbeat was faster, their temperature warmer. He did not know why that would be, other than what you mentioned about vampires being closer to death."

"You slept to heal in Gresit. But do you need to sleep? Will not sleeping impact your health?"

Alucard nods. "Less than humans need, but I must rest, or I will become weak and clumsy. Just like you two." A smile, then.

Sypha smiles back, standing with a slightly jerky motion. "Thank you for answering my questions."

Even for her, that was a bit direct. Alucard looks up at her, gentling his voice to speak. "You and Trevor are both safe with me. I do not thirst like a vampire. My control is a hundred times that of my kin."

The Speakers smile falters. "I never said..."

"You did not have to say so, Sypha."

She nods, nearly hanging her head as though hurt. He doesn't quite understand why. Was she not afraid? Alucard wishes he could ask his mother about humans, about human intercourse, to understand why their conversation had stumbled.

*

Contrary to his peer, Trevor does not take to the new garments left in the (mostly clean) pile of his old things. The shirt with a crest especially seems like a taunt. He doesn't begin wearing them until after the torn things just as spontaneously disappear. Goddamn thieving leech.

Alucard is carefully copying a recipe from a book Sypha found in Belmont hold into his mother's book for a similar purpose. He's not certain he could reproduce it, given the slightly afield ingredients. Even when Trevor bursts into the kitchen, he barely raises an eyebrow.

"Can I help you?" Unlike when he greets Sypha, this question is all sarcasm.

"Yes. Yes, you can, by returning my things." Trevor comes up on Alucard, getting close enough to see what he's up to.

"What things? I don't remember removing anything worth taking from your quarters."

"My clothes." This iteration is half growled.

"Oh, those rags. I wouldn't let a barn cat have kittens on them," Alucard replies dismissively.

Trevor sighs, heavily. "And why would you give even half a shit about my clothes, exactly?" The dhampir is rarely so difficult or direct, at least not in action.

Alucard pauses. The mortal doesn't seem to be going away without some sort of explanation, so he rolls his eyes and marshals his thoughts.

"They had an odor—"

"Oh, fuck you."

"And they were ragged beyond my skill to repair. I had new material that sufficed, so..." A shrug.

"So you decided to play the helpful elf, then?"

"You're welcome."

Another sigh from the mortal. He's at least wearing one of the new shirts. It does look quite a bit nicer, rather than worn and slightly discolored from rough use.

"So sorry I couldn't dress like a princeling while on the run."

Alucard finally gives up and sets his pen down, capping the ink before any accidents could happen.

"Rather an exaggeration, I think." He tactfully does not point out that Trevor is now allaying his complaints about the gifts. Nor does he try to examine the idea that he could be seen as any sort of prince.

The mortal takes a seat with all the grace of a bear, slumping over the table. Alucard shifts both books away from him, ever so slightly.

"Is there something else you needed me for?"

A nod, as he straightens and runs his fingers through his hair. "Sypha told me about what you'd discussed with her, about dhampirs."

Alucard hums noncommittally.

"There's something she didn't ask about, I don't know if it just slipped her mind or—"

"Why would I discuss my affairs with someone whose family legacy is exterminating one half of my family tree?"

Trevor grimaces. "If— if my family killed... people," he swallows the easier terms of monster or leech, or even half-vampire, "That could control themselves around humans, that did not murder or corrupt... that would have been the wrong thing to do."

Blond eyebrows rise extremely high at that. "You don't think my kind deserves death due to their mere existence?"

"No. I don't know." Trevor rubs at his neck, shifting with discomfort. "I don't think so."

He looks at the mortal for a long moment, trying to gauge the sincerity there. "I suppose you can ask your question."

"Oh. Thanks for the permission." The uneasy tension slides back to something more familiar. "I wanted to ask if you, specifically, are venomous."

"Not to my knowledge?"

"So dhampirs couldn't turn humans to vampires the way vampires can?"

Alucard considers this. "I think so, though I haven't tried it myself. Vampire venom has a specific smell, and my... saliva has similar properties but it isn't the same."

Trevor nods, visibly relaxing. "It's good to know you couldn't turn us even if you wanted to."

"Just drain you," Alucard points out. "Isn't that bad enough?"

The mortal stands, shaking his head and making to leave the room. "It isn't on the same level."

"If you say so," he says to Trevor's back with a frown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know anything about Castlevania video game lore, so most of what I've put here is a mixture of Luminosity and Vampire Academy lore. RIP my credibility.


	3. I sighed, you swooned

Alucard finds himself brooding in his room, his real room, not merely the nicest room he took up occupancy once the castle was his. It's dusty, and bloody, and the furnishings show the refuse of battle. His small library of books and clumsy drawings are strewn, some torn beyond repair. Boxes of what he used to collect; feathers, animal teeth, and a handful of crosses, now all out of order, some broken beyond repair. The crosses in particular bother him— they had been made or acquired, in a fit of childish obstinance toward his father. Having something of his own his father could not handle if he wanted to had amused him. A rush of guilt, at that slight, wanting a possession one of his parents could not hold. It had been the petty maneuver of a youth.

He was not truly seeing these things, not attempting to catalog and clean them. Instead he sat quietly on the carpet, breathing in the last scents of his father and mother, the room in which they had tucked him during his short youth He'd only begun his own process of being okay without a mother, for all that he was adult. Childishly, he felt bereft when only a few years before their presence had rankled. 

An hour passed. Two. The sun set. Every breath he drew, he breathed in the dust of his father.

The peace, such as it was, could not last. He heard footsteps up the stairs and down the hallway. Two sets, both of the mortals come to find him. Wondering why he hadn't come down to make them dinner. He sighs. 

Sypha knocks, not quite on rhythm, as though she's still getting used to the concept of knocking on a door. Or having doors, for that matter. "Alucard? We brought food up."

Trevor pushes the door open with his foot from his position directly behind Sypha. She squeaks in protest, pushed through the threshold by her impatient other half. They tower over him suddenly, from his perspective on the floor. The Speaker pauses for half a second to recover some sense of dignity, then laughs. "Alucard, move." Gesturing with her hand for Alucard to scoot to the right, off of the rug. 

He pauses a beat before moving, hating to begrudge her something so simple. She quickly lays down a bit of cloth— he thinks it might be a decorative blanket from one of the sitting rooms— down on top of the rug. She moves in haste, as though she thinks she might have only this chance. Trevor is much more hesitating, and that in itself is unusual.

Sypha sits, then, and extends her hand to beckon Alucard back to his previous position. This, too, he obeys. Trevor follows suit, and soon they open a basket of food. Fruit, cheese, bread, and a bit of sausage. Even a bottle of wine. Belmont sniffs. "I miss beer." He gives a smile that seems half joke and half self-pity.

Alucard clears his throat, rolling a berry between his fingers. "I suppose I could see if I could find hops to grow."

Trevor just looks at him, breaking only to look at Sypha. "Have you done it before? I mean, I appreciate the gesture and all, but I'm not sure I want to take a chance on first-timers beer—" Sypha pokes him. "Hey!"

"Just say thank you, idiot. Alucard, I had been wondering what kind of crops are cultivated around here. If we're thinking about wintering here, I'd like to know we'd be well supplied."

"How should I know?" The reply is sharper than intended. "This is Belmont land, not Tepes."

Sypha looks across to Trevor. He speaks first, haltingly. "I... don't remember much about living here. Children don't pay attention to where food is coming from— at least not Belmont children."

Alucard hums, not quite apologizing. "I suppose we could explore a bit in each direction and see what's been growing wild. I know how to store most foods, its just a question of finding what's available."

They both smile with varying degrees of relief. He wonders at this, why it should matter so much to them. He's scarcely allowed himself to hope they'd stay over the winter, not when spring had barely come. 

Soon enough they are doing little more than falling on the food Sypha had brought— they must have delayed their own dinner to see if he would make his own way down. The dhampir tries not to notice some of their mannerisms, but the way they eat with their fingers only draws his attention to their mouths, their teeth, their throats— and while that might have been a fanciful way to occupy his thoughts, in his current mood it can only remind him of what he's lost.

He's slumping, and while it might have been easier to blame it on the wine and exhaustion, the truth is that they are here, and it's easier to relax. The smell of dust and blood is hidden underneath both of their light scents, ink and wood, leather and linen. 

Sypha whispers, "Trevor, do you know how to get to his room from here?"

"You mean, his other room, not this one?" Trevor isn't quite as quiet, but he keeps as low as he can, and nods. "Not sure we can carry him there, though."

"I'll try to get him to float, we'll go from there."

With a little encouragement, Alucard floats a few feet off the floor, and it's just a matter of pulling him in the right direction without bumping his head. Even the arguing Sypha and Trevor isn't enough to wake him fully up, though when he's pushed gently to his bed, his eyes open blearily. 

Sypha pulls off his boots and unbuttons his coat, but she stops with that. She hesitates, her hand fluttering like she might remove his shirt, too. Trevor makes a small sound, dragging her away. "C'mon, let him sleep." But he doesn't immediately follow Sypha out of the door. Turning back, he brushes Alucard's hair out of his face before turning to catch up with Sypha. 

They retreat as quiet as possible, which is to say, on a platform of ice to reduce the number of steps needed to get back down to their rooms. Both of them are all too aware of Alucard's sensitive hearing.

"Well, that was interesting." Trevor flops onto Sypha's bed, though he may as well call it their bed for all intents and purpouses. 

"Was it? He seems even worse than he'd been, when I told you he was a well of sadness. He might well be a bottomless pit at this rate."

"...I was mostly saying it was interesting because I didn't know he could use his powers when he's not awake. But I should have picked up on that— how else could he have gotten to Gresit?"

"I had assumed he went through the transmission mirror Dracula has here..."

"I don't think that was it, not unless Dracula pushed him through it himself. What a father that guy was, yeah?"

"If Alucard teleports to Gresit every time he gets grievously injured—"

"Then we'd best not let him get that injured. It'd be a hassle." Trevor pulls Sypha down to be next to him.

"Oh, I suppose. But in that case I wish I knew what constituted injured enough to trigger something like that. Where would he have learned it?"

"Maybe we can ask him tomorrow." He sighs, pulling her closer. "Or maybe wait until he's out of this current state. He still has a mark from the last time."

"I wonder how long it'll take to heal." Sypha closes her eyes— the sooner she goes to sleep, the sooner she can ask more questions. That was how her grandfather had gotten her to sleep, when she'd struggled between the discomfort of a wagon and a budding curiosity. It goes double now that she shares a castle with two libraries and the most interesting men she's ever met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter! I realized while editing that my next two sections were a bit more info-dumpy and wouldn't flow with this little scene. Thank you all for your comments last chapter, I really appreciate them (honestly you might not believe how excited I was when each one came in. thank you again).


	4. Reality ensues

It's nearly a week later before Alucard is cajoled to something like his normal self, and over a meal he asks something he'd forgotten about. She'd been trying to pass letters through the transmission mirror to some of her kin, when he'd been more... himself.

"Have you had any luck getting a message to the Speakers?"

"I sort of did?" Sypha shrugs. "Do you know where I'm from?"

"To the far west, along the sea? I don't think you were specific than that."

"You might be more familiar with the term Hispania, I think that's what the Romans called it." His library seemed to have an abundance of Latin texts, in any case. "But recently both kingdoms have united. That only really matters because of, well. Politics. The church holds a lot of sway in that part of the continent-- they literally have final say on which rulers are ordained by God."

"Yes, I know that much." Alucard smiles.

"As Moorish power is pushed out of that area, there's been a lot of changes, as the church has outlawing the practice of religions other than Christianity. We've— the Speakers— have some knowledge from the future regarding that." She pauses, clearly uncomfortable. "The people of Sepharad will be forced to give up their God and their lands. The Speakers believe that it might refer to the Jewish people living in Hispania, so most of my people are helping anyone who wants to leave now. Speakers have the most freedom of movement since we're considered neutral by most."

"Except by the church." It's almost a question.

"Yes, but as long as we're passing through, we're permitted to travel. It's easier to use our wagons to help people go with their livelihoods intact, rather than be driven from their homes. My caravan was traveling that way, before Gresit." Sypha sighs. "So I don't think anyone can be spared to help me get through these texts. They would not recall me, but..."

"They are far away, and you cannot help them." Alucard finishes.

"They don't really need a Speaker magician— it'd draw the wrong kind of attention." She slumps, resting her weight on her arms. "I miss them. This is the fewest people I've lived with in my life, and you aren't even..."

"We're not Speakers." His lip curls, not quite a smile at the thought of being a "we" with a Belmont. "I suppose we could try on your spare tunics, but I don't think you'll get that idiot to read books all day."

Sypha sits up enough to push him with her hand. "Be nice. Also, both of you would look awful in my clothes." She appraises him in an exaggerated manner. "I think you're too tall for them, anyway."

He stands, chuckling as he lifts off the ground.

"That's cheating! Get down!" She finds her feet, trying to fix the distance between them. 

Alucard obliges, letting his feet rest on the floor again. "You needn't use an excuse like my height to deny us the opportunity to dress as Speakers. I believe *you* just want to spare yourself from looking upon Trevor's hairy calves."

"You are awful." Sypha sniffs before laughing, long and loud.

*

The temperature outside the castle is slowly rising, each day a little warmer, a little longer. When Alucard isn't helping Trevor some physical task, or consulting with Sypha on whatever research has caught her fancy, he does his best to collect food. Much of it is kept in the castle, but some he finds a place for in a storeroom of Belmont's, the earth keeping cool that far underground. Early season berries, roots, smoked meat, things that won't go bad easily, that could be eaten over the winter. Every day he finds it easier to believe they'll stay over the winter, practically another year. 

He worries, sometimes, what Trevor will occupy himself with when the climate turns, but he tries not to think about it. Perhaps they could repair the castle, or do an inventory of various weapons from both their armories. It's unlikely he'd leave without Sypha, regardless. Then there's the possibility of human visitors to worry over. Both his scholar and hunter were well enough, as had the odd peasant and priest on their journey to the Belmont lands, but other mortals?

Alucard knows that his mother wouldn't want him to shun his other half. Humans have the same capacity for good as all other thinking beings do, when granted free will. Whether vampires had free will with their desires intact was a matter of philosophical debate. People that aren't Trevor and Sypha... he had to admit, if only to himself that he was beyond wary of strangers.

While he thought, Sypha came to find him in his father's— his study, dropping down on the cushions once more. "Did you know some physicians believe vampirism to be related to the illness of lyssa?"

"Lyssa... like the spirit?"

"The very one!" She says, happily. "Seeing the argument laid out, the connections make sense. Animals and humans struck with lyssa are averse to water— just like vampires and holy water. I've heard running water is something vampires avoid, as well. It worked to our advantage, though I suppose that could have been a coincidence."

"I didn't know that school of thought, but I thought that humans with hydrophobia are not predisposed to... biting."

"I don't know why there's a discrepancy there, but I suppose records of such incidences are not well kept. That's not why I wanted to come to talk to you about it. I was wondering if there's a reason you can shift form to a wolf."

"Oh." Alucard flinches. "That's likely because my father ca—could. I've no idea if other dhampirs can do that."

Sypha speaks much more carefully, now that they are speaking about his father, but she's clearly too curious not to ask. "Why wouldn't your father shift while we fought? Or did he shift while Trevor and I were trying to catch up to you?"

"He likely did not shift it wouldn't have been advantageous. But the price would be blood, ultimately, or returning to his natural form before he was ready. The same goes for me."

"How long could you maintain your wolf form before you would have to feed or else become dhampir again?"

"I'm not certain of that, either. I'd prefer to not have to feed, if I could avoid it."

Sypha nods, looking away— seeming to understand his reluctance is partially due to them, his mortals, the ones he does not wish to harm. "It might be good to know, regardless."

Alucard makes a noise of agreement. "I'll experiment a bit and try to get a sense of what I'm capable of."

She presses her hand to his shoulder before using him to scramble to her feet. "Thank you."

The next two weeks are quiet ones. Trevor is nearly done with the stairs at last, but there's still a broken magic door, and lighting—enough projects that he hasn't had a dull moment. Sypha has been working hour after hour to either sort, repair, or read the books from both libraries, but it's slow going. Alucard estimates she may have skimmed perhaps as much as two book in ten, but read very few cover to cover. She's been asking him in lieu of multiples of herself, for a spell that would at least help her read faster. He hadn't known of one, and had retreated into solitude to look for one, but not so bad as last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When initially drafting this, I felt it was important to give an explanation as to why no one has seen any Speakers since their first introduction. Given the timing of Lisa's death, I decided to go with this explanation, the Inquisition of 1478 and the resulting events over the course of at least a few decades. If you've never heard about the Alhambra Decree, which gave 'Spanish' Jews the "choice" of expulsion or conversion to Catholicism, I suggest researching it! This fic won't be going into any further detail, but I felt like throwing it in as a worthy Speaker cause. 
> 
> The discussion of rabies was sparked by my reading Rabid (Bill Wasik, Monica Murphy), which discusses historical accounts of rabies and makes a direct comparison to vampiric folklore. 
> 
> Finally, this is just a general note for the fic's intentions: Sumi and Taka will be introduced in the upcoming chapter. I fully intend this fic not only as a rewriting of season 3 and the OT3, but also Sumi and Taka. The canonical events of season 3 will not in any way be retread here. 
> 
> That's all! Thanks for reading so far.


	5. The archer and the prey

Alucard is the one that spots them from up on the roof of the castle. Their dress is such that the drab bits are hard to make out, brown leathers, fur, on warm brown skin and hair. But then he sees the way they stop to breathe after each sprinting burst, and realizes the implications-- which is that these are humans, and they are headed to the castle, and he isn't ready to be around people that aren't his two.

Alucard shifts to mist long enough to warn Sypha and Trevor both to be on alert. After that, he turns to his canine form. He's fed recently, after experimenting with his power at Sypha's behest. He might be able to maintain it for a week. Enough to wait and see if these humans are dangerous, or if they, like the hunter and scholar, can be reasoned with.

*

It had been a hard journey, but they could see that it was nearly at an end. The castle loomed in the horizon, far above the trees. Sumi pulls up their quick pace, slowing to assess. Should they try to recover here, before advancing? Any advantage of daylight would be lost in a matter of hours, but the pace they'd been going on foot had been taxing once they'd left behind the river. 

Behind her, Taka pants for a moment before tapping her shoulder, gesturing his question; should he string his bow? One quick shake of her head, and then she looks around for a tree to look out from. They're slightly uphill from the castle, but the angle is wrong this close, they can't scout until they can get higher. 

Sumi scrambles up, her blade left sheathed at the base, Taka standing guard over it, back to the chosen tree. She doesn't have to go very far— soon she can see a ruin of a building, and the entrance of the castle quite near to it. Strangely, in the middle of the burned-up bits of wood, there's a pit of some sort. It looks deep, but the wood all around it looks fresh, as if laid down without even a period of seasoning. Not the kind of thing she'd expect vampires to do, with a castle right there. Even as she thinks this, she spots a man. 

Even after their long journey, she can't help but classify him as a foreign man, the kind of which she'd never seen before leaving Cho's court. But no, he's one of the locals. Tall but not especially intimidating, at least not at this distance. He looks more like a laborer than a fighter— is he a thrall? A shift of movement at the castle door catches her eye.

Another local, ambiguously dressed in flowing clothes from head to toe, hair so bright it is startling. At least it makes it easier for them to be seen, with that color against the drabness of the robes. The clothes remind Sumi somewhat of a few monks she'd met early on their way here— a religious figure, then? Here to cleanse the castle? Here to fight vampires, like them?

She drops down to the ground, scooping up her weapons. Whistles softly to Taka before taking the lead again. As they approach, slowly with no weapons drawn, Sumi adjusts their few belongings. Kanju and the shard of the mirror are both tucked securely into the lined pocket of her shirt, tied tightly and knotted. Humans are safer than vampires, but even humans cannot be trusted entirely.

By the time they make it to the clearing, the locals have been alerted to their presence, though she has no idea how— they should have been too far away to see uphill, no? That enough was enough to make her uneasy, although the idea of having a conversation in the language of this country, having only entered a few weeks ago was it's own kind of unsettling.

Taka is far more relaxed than her, and tries on a smile in the corner of her eye. She hisses, "Be on your guard," in their own tongue, and he nods. His manju is strung on cord and tied to the inside of his own shirt, where it cannot fall into view. 

Trevor and Sypha stand in front of the door, Alucard behind them in the shadow of the foyer. None of them are carrying obvious weapons, but Sypha twitches her fingers into position. The younger set shift uneasily at the sight of them. As they near, Sypha's eyes widen at their looks, at their clothes— at everything. She barely recognizes the language of this region on their tongues— more from her own distraction than their skill.

"We are Sumi and Taka. Are you with the vampire Dracula?"

Trevor pauses before answering. "No. We're not. He's dead. Well, dead-er."

"Dead?" It is a shock. "How? Do you have proof?

Sypha also hesitates. "We did it together. With help from..." She gestures to the wolf behind them, just visible in the gloom. "Adrian."

Taka speaks up now. "What about Cho?"

"I think Sypha killed her."

"You?" Sumi breaks in, looking much more closely at the person in robes. A woman, then. Hair uncovered, even she knew that was odd. "How?"

Sypha gestures to call flame. "With my power. If your Cho was the vampire with skin as white as snow and flowing silk, then it was done with a blade of ice."

They both absorb this. Into the silence, Trevor asks, "So... how did you get here? How'd you know where the castle would be?"

Sumi and Taka exchange a look. "Cho told us she was leaving to join Dracula, so we knew the general location," Sumi offers with caution.

Sypha and Trevor nod, exchanging their own looks. Alucard wuffs behind them, a small annoyance at what these two must be holding back. Trevor steps forward, arms crossed. "Now that you know this Cho is dead, what do you intend to do?"

Taka smiles, taking Sumi's hand, willing her hand to unclench. "Sleep, if we're welcome. It has been a long journey here. Perhaps we can stay for a bit?" A nod from Sumi at this, with her own half smile. They'd learned to use their slender, youthful faces on those who could ignore their foreign looks. To project a guile that says that they aren't a threat, that they aren't dangerous. It might even be true— if these two really killed Dracula and Cho. 

The elder two nod, slow. "We certainly have the room!" Sypha chuckles, turning to invite the teenagers in. "I'd love to know all about where you come from."

Trevor chuckles, dry. Speakers. They can put aside any threat for a good story. They designate a room for the strangers to use, as well as a washing up room, and leave them alone. Best not to hover right away. 

*

Sypha whistles for him to meet Alucard and her on high ground, which must mean the roof. There's a narrow balcony that they all cram onto, though the form Alucard's taken is too large for comfort.

The dhampir speaks first, his voice strange through the mouth of a wolf. "They're human. Not thralls of Cho." Pauses, cocking his head. "At least not recently enough to matter."

"I didn't realize that was in question." Trevor crosses his arms. "Why'd you shift to this? Afraid of two skinny kids?"

"Those skinny 'kids' came with the intent of killing multiple vampires." Sypha points out. "Who knows if they'd be satisfied with the distinction of only being half vampire?"

"'Adrian' tested me— us— outright rather than acting this suspicious. Why're they any different?"

They both wait for Alucard to answer. The wolf huffs. "I don't want to get in the way of... you having human company. Not everyone is as accepting as you two. Besides, they're keeping something back— for one, how'd they get here? Cho wasn't from the mainland, she was from an island north and east."

"Off the coast of the Middle Kingdom?" Trevor clarifies. A long pause where Trevor imagines Alucard raising one eyebrow. "They have a similar look to some people my family learned from— not the same, but similar enough. That region has a lot of experience with spirits." 

Sypha leans in and opens her mouth, but he cuts her off. "Not the point right now. Alucard, any other issues? You need to decide when you'll let them see you. I know you can't keep that up forever."

"We should find out what their long term plans are if they are satisfied that their master is dead. And how they got here— if it was magic, knowing what kind will help us keep from being blindsided."

Trevor nods. "Fine."

Sypha frowns, if only slightly. "If Cho was their master, then were they being kept as... human livestock, for lack of a better term? They're so... young. And skinny, too, at least as far as I can tell."

Alucard answers, low. "If they were being kept by vampires, they'll be nursing a grudge an ocean wide. That kind of power imbalance... I learned about it observing my father's peers. It fosters a certain level of fear and suspicion."

*

Down in their rooms, Sumi and Taka search for anyone who could be hiding to listen in. Speaking in their native tongue doesn't help their suspicion of being spied up— what if Cho had left someone in the castle that could speak it— but they have little choice.

Sumi looks at Taka. "I don't trust that wolf."

Taka chuckles, more nervous than good-natured when not pretending. "What, you can't trust a giant wolf the minute you lay eyes on it?. Always knew you were the smart one."

She sighs despite herself. "You're smart when you actually try." Sumi turns around the room again. "You noticed the actually important question they asked."

He nods. "How'd we know where the castle would be. Normal castles don't move. But this one did, right? The mirror showed us that much. Lucky we hadn't left the ship before then. But I have a more important question: how do we know Cho is dead?"

Sumi tilts her head, considering. "You think Cho would stay here, if Dracula really was dead? Or head back to the court?"

"She didn't previously having a magic moving castle, so... I'd say she'd stay here if it happened to be free."

"Point. See, you're strategic." Taka just makes a face at her. "So, how do we find out if these two or possibly three killed Cho for real?"

"Ask them to demonstrate?" Taka suggests.

"We're not good enough to stand in for her. Which, for the record, means if they did it, we're at a disadvantage. Be on your best behavior."

"Never." But they both have that look on their faces, the one they wore so often around Cho. Putting on a mask, the mask that said they were helpless little human livestock. It'd gotten them halfway across the world after all. What were two foreigners against that? "So. Make nice, find out what's up with the giant wolf, and figure out how to get control of the magic castle. Simple."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I've done okay at writing for Sumi and Taka. I'll be the first to admit that they're a lot more difficult for me to dialogue for than the OT3. Whether that's due to my lack of skill or the dearth of canon material to work from...
> 
> Just a note, I've had a difficult time deciding upon Sumi and Taka's ages. I've decided to make them teenagers, younger than Alucard. There's a few reasons for that, but I'll get to them soon enough. I've also swapped Sumi's weapon for a naginata and armed them both with two magical items. More about those upcoming as well.
> 
> As for upload schedule, we've reached the end of my previously written draft, so the next chapters may be on a slower pace. Thanks for reading thus far! If you have any comments, I would to love to hear them. See you soon.


	6. Gone are the days

All three of them are reluctant to give the newcomers more than an hour or two alone. Plus, Sypha really wants to find out everything about them, and no time like the present. Trevor sighs. "You'll be safe on your own?" His gaze drops to Alucard's wolf-form. "Well, not totally alone. I'd like to get back to my work while there's still daylight."

Sypha nods. "See you later." She waves, and goes with Alucard to find them in their rooms. Knocking, she calls, "Hello! Would you two like to see the rest of the castle?" Even she can hear the commotion inside, quick steps up to the door. 

The one called Taka answers first as the door swings inwards. "Yes, we would like that. Sumi and I were just washing up a bit." 

The Speaker's smile is genuine. "I can understand that." 

Sumi joins Taka at the door, though they poke at each other a bit for trying to pass each other on the way through it. "Oh? Have you traveled much?"

"It was practically all I did until very recently." She gestures for the two to follow her, letting Alucard lead them.

The two teenagers glance at each other. "Are you a trader? We met some on our way here."

"What kind of traders?"

Sumi answers, "Spice merchants" just as Taka answers, "Fishermen."

A beat, where Alucard wuffs and Sypha cocks her head. "Interesting. I suppose I should have known you came by sea."

"How would you know that?" Taka asks, overly casual.

"Over sea is faster, no? Even I know that, and I traveled by wagon."

"Wagon?" This time, Sumi's tone is just confusion, but a more familiar version of confusion. "What is that word?"

Sypha chuckles. "You really did travel by ship, then. It's just a cart— oh, I don't know if you'd know that one, either. A small 'ship' that goes on land, usually pulled by horses or oxen."

"Thanks."

*

The next hour is spent touring the castle. The two teenagers are fast to pick up on words and use them, and seemingly are far more at ease by the end, even if Alucard's shape and size seems to make them nervous. The library isn't quite as interesting to them as it is to Sypha, though, because instead of looking at the books, they just look at her.

"We had a question about the castle."

"Oh?"

"Cho said it moved. How does it do that?" They hadn't seen any room that seemed to be for the purpose. 

"It doesn't anymore." Trevor answers from the door. He juts a thumb at Sypha. "She broke it."

She makes a face. "Did not." 

"She skipped the room where you'd see the damage? Here, I'll show you." His voice is all smugness and teasing. The other two follow him with curious expressions.

When they see it, with gears melted into place, their jaws drop. "How did she— Sypha— how did she do this? Not with her flames and ice?

"No, some sort of transport spell. She found it in a book when we realized that the castle had been moving around."

"You can learn that kind of spell from books?" Sumi's tone is extremely excited now.

Trevor shrugs. "You'd have to ask her."

Taka raises his hand. "Why would Sypha not show us this? She did say she was showing us around."

The older man smiles, then tries to cover it by putting a hand over his mouth and through his beard. "Embarassment? Shame?"

Sumi chimes in. "She didn't want to hide this just so we wouldn't know her power?"

Trevor shakes his head at that. "Sypha is the biggest show-off I know, she wouldn't hide something that made her look awesome. Uh, something that made her seem like a god."

They both nod their thanks at the quick language help, having already been introduced to way too much education in foreign religions. 

*

The three of them part ways for a bit, Trevor and Sypha talking about making dinner. The elder two begin prepping in the kitchen, the roar of a cooking fire and the chopping of knives having to cover their conversation.

Sypha whines, "We were in a hurry! I wasn't thinking about the damage it'd do to the engine! I don't know even know anything about magical engines!"

Trevor pointedly brushes the knife Sypha had raised down. "Those two are not subtle, we've gotten lucky so far. And we've got A—Adrian." The stumble is there, and she shoots him a look for it.

"They're just kids." Her nose goes up in the air. "I was never that young."

Alucard sticks his nose into the kitchen, not wanting to get wolf hair all over the eating area. "We have no idea what Cho put them through. Even if the torture was all on their developing minds—"

Trevor breaks in at that. "Rather than just their throats?"

A growl. "As you say. Just on their minds, that means they've spent their short lifetimes watching vampires. Wanting to kill her. Even you, Belmont, were not given such a rigorous education in hate. Not on a personal level."

"Maybe they just want to learn how to fight vampires, like Trevor." Sypha puts forth. 

Arms crossing, Trevor hums. "We don't know what... type of morality they're working with. Would they kill Adrian for what he is? Do they want to be vampires themselves? Are they going to kill us in our sleep for tolerating a dhampir?" He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I'd rather not kill children if I can avoid it."

Alucard murmurs, with a wolf sigh of his own. "They aren't children, and you know that. They may be warped, but they're old enough to make their own bad decisions." He leaves then, with a padding of paws out of the castle for his own meal.

*

In their rooms, Sumi and Taka look at each other for a long moment. Sumi speaks first, nervous. "We slipped up, with the travel."

Taka nods, his hand going to the necklace. "As long as they don't know we have these, we're fine." 

"Not fine! Those three are so powerful, and they've already chosen to be selective with what they tell us. That wolf is no wolf, tt doesn't act like a canine."

"You mean Sypha?" Taka scratches at the back of his neck. "Seemed like an honest lie. Like a kid that spilled something on a sleeping mat, and turned it over to hide it."

"Pretty big sleeping mat! She melted metal, Taka. Think what she could do to us."

Reluctantly, Taka nods. You can't trust anyone, not people who make their homes in these giant castles. "What should we do, then? Leave before they turn on us?"

Sumi hesitates. "Maybe. Maybe, but I want to learn magic before we go. Or at least how to read this language."

"You talk to Sypha, then. I'll make myself to useful to Trevor."

"Good idea, I didn't see any pack-horses here." Sumi chuckles, thinking Taka might help Trevor with whatever construction he seemed to be doing while Sypha worked inside.

"Aw, you just want to see me with my tunic off, don't make excuses." Taka steps closer, slinging one hand around her waist, joining her in laughing as she squirms away.

"We should ask them if there's a place to soak. It's been so long since—" She cuts herself off, all of her humor gone.

Taka nods, soberly. "Since we left." His hand catches hers to squeeze it. "We're here now. I'm sure even foreigners have some place to soak in, a place as fancy as this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, so I think it is on the shorter side compared to the rest. I hope Sumi and Taka's characterization is sufficient, as they're the aspect I'm most struggling with. Hope you all could enjoy regardless!


	7. If there was a right way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly warning, I've upped the rating from Teen to Mature for consensual blood drinking.

Trevor finds Alucard, following his tracks out into the forest. Strange how used to being alone in the castle they'd become. Comfortable. The uneasiness is enough to get him to push this— Sypha would want them to get along. He wants to get along, himself. Alucard doesn't need more grief. 

They settle in a clearing, a long pause. The days have been growing longer, and dusk is still a few hours off. Trevor's arms cross. He sighs. "How long until you have to shift back?"

Alucard's voice is off, low and soft, strange coming through the wolf mouth. "A few days, maybe more. I'm... getting thirsty. And while I don't have the appetite of a true vampire—"

"You don't want to be hungry around them, I get that." Trevor looks at him. "We have to tell them. You know what they were like, with the melted castle engine. Lies are only going to fuck this whole thing up. They're so— so suspicious of us. If they know we were keeping them around—"

"A vampire. A monster. Someone who could kill them in a heartbeat. Enslave them." His voice is dry. "Despite the fact that you two could do all of that just as well as I."

"Yeah. So we need to tell them. Even if you keep avoiding the castle, at least it's not something we're hiding from them. And..."

That wolf sigh. "And?"

"And... We miss you. Sypha's a terrible cook, and those two probably would love a proper meal. Even one prepared by a dhampir."

Alucard holds the silence, considering the proposal. But he's right, even if he suspects Sypha may have convinced Trevor of this plan herself. Maintaining this kind of gigantic lie is a fool's errand. Abruptly he shifts back to his normal form with only a whisper of sound, flashing behind Trevor to hide the lack of clothes.

Trevor lets out a soft laugh, his hands going to his collar and undoing the clasp on his cloak. Just as quickly, Alucard is much closer to his back, his cool breath against Trevor's neck. 

"My hunger won't be sated by just a home cooked meal, you know." It sounds confident, for all that he wishes to take the words back. Teasing a Belmont, what is he thinking—

"I had an idea about that, actually." Trevor finishes taking off his cloak, pushing it behind him for Alucard to wear. He smirks as he turns, watching the younger man pull it into place, covering much of his lanky pale skin. The difference in their frames means it sags in the neck and chest, and something more like a sheepish smile finds his way onto his face. "There might be a way to get the strangers to trust you, at least a little."

* 

"This is a terrible idea." Sypha's voice is hushed. They're too close to the entrance of the castle, and with all of them together no one can keep an eye out for the strangers.

"Probably." Trevor agrees.

"I mean, why would you do be the one to do it? It'd be more impressive if I took your place. And it'd be more obvious that I could stop him." She snaps her fingers, letting a flame play on them for a moment. 

Alucard sighs. Idiots. "Which one is the least of our problems. How are you planning to keep them from attacking me on sight?"

"I've been spending time with Sumi," Sypha says. "I think that I can convince them to give us a few minutes to explain ourselves."

"Plus, it's obvious that they want to clear the way to taking the castle. If you go crazy and drain one of us, it's one less person they have to deal with."

"They can keep their weapons on them. We're more than capable of dodging a fixed opponent if we have to, no?"

"And me?" Alucard raises an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to just appear in the room? And— " He cuts himself off, dropping his gaze. "Neither of you want to take precautions, in case I do lose control? I haven't fed from a human since I was a child."

"No." Sypha says, smiling.

"Nope." Trevor crosses his arms. "I'll have a dagger on me, that's all I'll need if that happens. Which we don't think it will."

Alucard puts his head in his hands. "The sooner we settle this, then. Go tell them, I'll wait for your signal."

*

Sumi and Taka have settled in, the last few days. Not having to be constantly traveling, dealing with taking turns sleeping has helped a lot. Sumi works with Sypha, splitting her attention between trying to learn magic and learn how to read Latin. Picking each other's brain is a full time job. Taka hangs around Trevor, helping with construction— having something to do while learning cultural things. Both practice weapon drills, and it helps that Trevor isn't wholly unfamiliar with bows from the same general location. Just over the course of a week, the castle has become a place where they can ever so slightly relax.

Even so, they couldn't help but pick up on the tension running through those two, particular when the wolf was nearby. So when the two invited down to the hallway, they were ready. 

"Stay calm, okay? We promise we're not doing anything to you. We want to tell you a secret we've been keeping." Sypha explains, clearly nervous. 

"Nothing about Cho, right?" Taka asks, quick and to the point. Anything else, they can try to handle, but if Cho is still around— 

"Not about any vampire. But— about a child of a vampire. Not Cho's child, don't worry." Trevor adds. 

Sumi speaks next, her hands clenching around her weapon. "Why would you keep a child vampire? How?"

"Not a 'child vampire'. A child of a vampire and a human. We call them dhampirs. He helped us kill Dracula and Cho. We want you to be able to trust him, okay?"

Trevor crosses his arms. "But we know that... it's not so easy. God knows we attacked him when we first met him, too."

A smile flashes on Sumi and Taka's faces for a brief second. "We knew you were reasonable people." Sumi agrees, with a sigh of relief. "We'll... try to hear what you say."

Sypha and Trevor exchange their own looks. "What would worry you about living with person that's part vampire?"

They both take a breath, slowly letting it out. "Thirst," says Taka. "Hunger." Sumi confirms. Taka leans into Sumi, covering his neck for a moment. Cho had fed on them, a terrifying experience when they were aware of it, and disorientating at best when not aware. All of the humans at the court had been at the mercy of her desire for blood.

Trevor nods. "We want you to watch our friend feed and stop himself. We want you to know he won't hurt you or us. If you can't live with him, we'll try to adjust to that— you could live in the manor, both of you. But we really don't want to hurt either of you because you were so afraid that you'd try to kill him."

Both of them look vaguely sick. 

Sypha leans forward. "We thought it might be best if you chose who Alucard would feed from." They don't offer an explanation has to why this choice is left in their hands.

The teens look at each other before speaking in their own language. Brief and low. Taka whispers, "Are we hoping they'll be killed?" 

Sumi mulls this over before shrugging. "She'd be best. If she's drained, I think we could take on him quickly. And that'd just leave this... part vampire thing."

"Sypha, then." They say, looking back at the elder two.

"Right, then." Sypha smiles. "Do you need to be restrained? You won't interfere with this demonstration?"

"No!" They both say, clutching at each other again, skittish.

She fixes them with a look. "Alright. You stay at this end of the hall. Don't come closer unless you're prepared to be friendly." The two teenagers remain at the foyer with agreeing nods.

*

At the back of the hall, Alucard appears. He can hear the two foreigner's gasps, the sound of their hands clenched on unstrung and sheathed weapons.

"This is stupid." He says to Sypha.

"Yep." She agrees. "Still feeling hungry?"

"You're doing this to experiment." He accuses, though there's no heat in it. He could really expect nothing less. "Aren't you worried you'll be distracted, with all of this going on?"

Sypha shakes her head. "So, where would you like to bite?"

Alucard looks at her, trying to appraise her. "Do you have a dominant hand?"

"Left." Her head cocks. "So you'd want my right, then."

His hand extends to catch her right hand, rolling up the sleeve. Her skin is pale, the blood pumping inside of it so obvious to his eyes, her pulse jumping as his fingers graze up to wrist. Alucard raises it up to his mouth, pressing a kiss there.

They look at each other, her bright wide eyes to his. Trevor sighs. "Get on with it, already."

All three of them chuckle. Sypha presses her free hand to her mouth. "Normally standing wouldn't be my preference, nor would an audience but—"

"Yes, yes. Sorry for giving you a last chance to change your mind." Alucard grumbles. His fangs slide slowly out past his lips. He turns his gaze away, licking the points absently, his own thoughts racing.

And then in one fluid motion, he braces his free hand against Sypha's shoulder, and lowers his mouth to her wrist, and bites the skin there. Two pricks and a press to get the blood flowing is all it takes before he can latch to punctures, sucking at the skin and swallowing the blood that fills his mouth.

Alucard is far less aware of his surroundings, now, only thinking of way Sypha breathes, sighs, pulses her blood into him. There's no lack of control, no need to take more than what she can give. 

"Enough." Sypha says, loudly enough for the other two to hear at the end of the hall. 

He pulls away quickly, with only a lick to shut the wounds. Alucard smiles for half a moment, sweeping his gaze toward Sumi and Taka, at their mixed gazes of horror and surprise. "Thank you," he directs toward Sypha before taking his leave toward the kitchen.

As soon as he draws away, the younger two race up the hall to check on Sypha. "He only drank a little?" Sumi is nearly disbelieving, but she can see it on the foreign woman's face that there's plenty of blood still in her.

"Cho would usually take until we fainted." Taka grimaces. 

"So you know he can control himself. His name is Alucard, by the way. Do you think you'll be able to not attack him the first time he makes you nervous?" Trevor goes straight to the point, inserting himself between the two and Sypha.

Sumi and Taka nod. "If— if you two are around him. At least of you. We can stay. We've... never met a part vampire before. We'd like to learn more about him."

Reprovingly, Sumi adds, "Didn't you call him Adrian before? When he was a wolf?"

Sypha chuckles, tying off a bandage around her wrist. "That's his given name, but mostly people call him Alucard. We didn't want to say before in case you understood what was being said."

Taka looks questioningly at Trevor and Sypha. "What's being said?"

Trevor laughs. "I don't think it works if you can't read the language. The letters are put in reverse order to say that he is the son of Dracula."

Sumi and Taka blanch. "He's what?!"

Sypha rolls her eyes. "This is why we showed you that you can trust him. He's not like Dracula. You'll see that if you stay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a draft and then I decided to have trust exercise blood drinking and everything went out the window. Hope you enjoyed!


	8. Trade armor for a crown

By the time the mortals split again, Alucard has come to a realization, which is that there's no way anyone is going to be up to a dinner together, not so soon after... that. He'll just make something and leave it for the four of them. Regardless of how well anyone is handling it, he would be the first to admit that eating normally after having had Sypha's blood on his tongue would be awkward to say the least. His hands are quick and mechanical, putting together something simple together. Fish and cereal grains, butter, and at least a vegetable or two. There's always wine and bread, too. He leaves out a bottle as a recommendation, though it wouldn't be the first time Trevor would go against whatever he chose. That man has no palate.

He signal whistles to his two before leaving the kitchen once again, steering clear of any humans on his way out of the castle. Back to the forest for a little while, somewhere safe and away. Somewhere thinking about what had happened, of Sypha's blood in his mouth and now in his body, would be less of a danger. But that thinking was flawed, he knew that all too well. The only reason what he'd done had gone well was because he couldn't be lost to blood lust, if such a thing was even truly real. Hadn't his father said something similar? Was it just his own arrogance that led him to that conclusion?

God, his mother. She'd wanted them both to experience a more human way of life. Drinking blood hardly qualified. He sat on a tree stump, thinking, glad of the dusk and his solitude. The last time he'd supped on blood was from her, when he was but a child. He'd taken ill— he remembered their fight, his father saying that he had only gotten sick because he abstained from blood, that this was the result of trying to raise him as a human. Alucard couldn't remember what his mother had said in response to that, but he remembered what happened next. She'd shut Dracula from the sick chamber, and sat at his bedside, a knife in her hand. His face flushes at the thought— he'd been embarrassed then, too. Child or not, he'd been in his father's court long enough to blood drinking was for vampires, not so much in the livestock sense as in the association with sexual references. Vampires didn't have children, not typically. Not at Dracula's court, not human children. Perhaps if there had been some, he would have known blood drinking was not restricted to human pets or human lovers.

Then again, he hadn't taken his mother's blood from her body. She'd let it spill into a glass. Even as sick as he was, he could smell it in the air, and put a hand over top it. His eyes had met hers with a half smile. "Let this cup pass from me." She'd smiled at that, but he did drink it before it had time congeal. Later, his father had apologized, and she had joked that she had fed him when he was only a child— blood and milk were not so different.

It was likely because of Sypha's blood running through his body that he could blush so intensely, out in the forest with none to see. That and no other reason, surely. Sypha had acted only from a scholar's curiosity. And regardless, associating those two with thoughts of family was right and good. Trevor and Sypha shared a bed, they didn't share his, but it didn't matter because blood was different than sex. He knew that, he wasn't a child, he wasn't even a virgin. 

However he tries to justify himself, the fact is that Sypha's blood in his mouth was far more intimate. Her pulse jumping at his touch. Her sighs at the suck and scrape of his lips and teeth. What if Trevor had been the foreigner's choice, instead? He was just as willing. And even as Alucard frames that question, he knows his answer, that it would have been much the same, the same intimacy and attraction, the same desire. 

He had thought perhaps as a dhampir he would not have to fight the war of blood and lust, the two concepts married together. But this, if nothing else, has taught him the wrongness of that thinking. What to do about it?

*

In Sypha's room, she pores over the skin that only an hour ago Alucard had pierced. Not a mark was on it— the bandage had been a precaution, in case there had been an accident, in case of something unexpected. And perhaps a bit of theatrics for the benefit of their two wards. 

"Up to anything interesting tonight?" Trevor asks.

"Nope."

*

Dinner with Sypha and Trevor had been strange, even for those two. Obviously the 'thing' had not been included, and Sumi had no idea why. They were now in their rooms, deep into talks of their own. 

"We have no idea what a part vampire is even vulnerable to! If he is even vulnerable to anything, or maybe if he's even a part vampire at all! Maybe he's just a controlled vampire, like Cho. She didn't have to drain anyone, she was capable of leaving humans untouched if it suited her— she spilt the blood of how many warriors? She never licked the blood out of the mats, there's no reason to believe he's any different." Sumi's tone is strident, only just barely holding it together. 

Taka nods along. "Maybe they told us to wait at the end of the hall so we wouldn't noticed something was off. But I have a different problem." He pauses, running a hand through his hair. "Why don't we just go?"

Sumi makes a face. "But... we're learning so much. You told me Trevor was teaching you strengthening techniques, that you think you'll be able to manage a heavier draw. And your aim is improving, just like mine."

"We can't defend ourselves. Kanju and manju won't help us this far inland. If we aren't going to kill vampires, if we don't need to kill Cho or Dracula... what are we still doing here? Why don't we just go _home_?" He reaches a hand toward her shoulder, like he wants to shake her.

Her face crumples, and she hides it in a flash. They didn't spend enough time in the village, when Cho had left and they'd taken down the remaining guards. They'd just taken off after her, too afraid of being caught flat-footed. "Do you want to see them die, Taka?"

"What?" He's incredulous. 

"Power is everything. There's power here, and they'll give it to us as a gift if we stay here. If we go home with a bow and a blade, what happens when the next vampire comes along wanting to fill the void Cho left? Do you want to see the village empty again? Do you want to see everyone's faces when they go back to being cattle?"

A long pause as they catch their breath, biting their lips and wiping their eyes. It's pointless to fight with each other, they learned that long ago.

"No, I don't." Taka, his answer as a peace offering.

"Let's tell them outright we want training. The part-vampire too. Maybe Sypha can get kanju and manju working with something other than the sea. We won't know unless we try. They want to trust us, you saw that."

Taka smiles, wry. "They don't want to kill a couple of _kids_."

"So let's use them. No wasting opportunities."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed these crises! I couldn't resist the biblical reference, not after I picked up on Lisa's allusions as she was burned.


	9. Working in corners

In the morning, Alucard is in the kitchen before the rest wake baking fresh bread. It's ridiculous, to be this casual with two jumpy strangers, but this is normal, right? It's what he'd be doing with Sypha and Trevor, when they were the only ones in the castle. 

Not that he's been alone with Sumi and Taka yet. One step at a time.

Trevor is the first in the kitchen, yawning and stretching in all his ostentatiousness. Alucard watches with eyes half-lidded. He takes up so much space, he thinks, half wistful. There's something so assured in his raw mortality. 

And then he opens his mouth.

"What's for breakfast? Or have you forgotten how to cook, with all that time in wolf form?" Trevor's smile is broad, voice warm and still sleepy, even as he teases.

"Hard bread, for you." Alucard tosses yesterday's loaf at him, and chuckles when the other catches it. "I was thinking porridge with bread. We should probably talk to Sypha about finding the closest trader— it might be nice to have butter again."

"I think I remember butter." Sypha's dreamy voice from the door breaks in, gaze somewhere toward the ceiling, remembering. "Such a rarity while on the road."

Alucard's voice takes a turn for the fond. "We have cold storage aplenty, if only we had access to dairy. No reason this winter couldn't have all the—" he cuts himself off, shaking his head.

In the quiet, he hears Sumi and Taka make their way down, and turns back toward the fire, stirring carefully. 

"Good morning." Comes the hesitant voices, the halting, reticent steps. As though the two were forcing themselves to take each one, a little closer to the threat. 

Sypha and Trevor nod their hellos, finding their seats along with the various plates and cups for everyone. When each are seated, Alucard turns ever so slowly to face them, with only a serving spoon in his hand. "Pass your bowls?"

Each get a slice of bread and a portion of porridge, a cup of tea. Sumi and Taka exchange a glance at the tea, smelling it carefully. "This seems... familiar. It isn't from, what's the word." Taka leans toward Sumi and then looks over to Sypha, mumbling under his breath in their language. "Medicine? Medicine plant?"

"Herbs? Actually, I'm not sure what the distinction— I mean, the difference. This tea is from leaves, right? So it is kind of an herb too."

Trevor speaks before Alucard, "It's from the Middle Kingdom, right? That'd be why it's familiar. Well, more familiar."

Sumi nods with comprehension in her eyes. "Mainland, yes."

Alucard just looks at Trevor. "I suppose your family started importing it along with knowledge of 'spirits'?"

"Yeah? That's not strange, right? Not any stranger than whatever that thing is." He gestures at the red fruit on the table.

Sypha shakes her head at that. "We've already had this discussion before. It's from the west. West west."

Now Taka looks even more confused.

Alucard sighs, and the two younger cringe away. "Sorry. I'm not upset." He carefully lays his empty hands on the table in view. "I'll show you on one of our maps later."

A careful nod and they all resume eating.

*

Sypha can't stop thinking about what happened that evening, the feel of Alucard's fangs in her wrist, the trail of his tongue across the wound, the soft swallows of her blood down his throat. It wasn't painful, but it also wasn't as sexual as she'd been led to believe. It felt not dissimilar to getting a love bite, but for there being no mark when it was over.

There a million questions she wants to ask, none of them appropriate and yet the burn within her. Wanting to know, wanting to feel, wanting to archive all of this inside her mind the way his bite is etched there now.

Even she is aware of how obsessive she is being right now. At least the two adolescents are there to distract her, to give her something, someone else to focus on.

*

Sometime in the evening, Sypha and Sumi curl up over book in the library, pouring over maps and trying to build their vocabulary in two languages at once. Sumi can't really teach Sypha her written language as Cho hadn't been much of an educator but they still can work verbally as Sypha teaches her to read Latin. 

After some time, Sumi pauses to look at the elder woman. Up close Sypha's foreign features are so apparent. The thin white skin that let veins poke out. The speckles on her nose and cheeks and down her shoulders. And her hair color— but Sumi tries not to stare, even though it's difficult. How Sypha looks isn't as important as how she acts, how she takes new information in.

Sumi fumbles her necklace out, pressing a thumb to it like a worrying stone. "Sypha, look at this."

Sypha's bright eyes fixate on the piece of jewelry, that curves in a way that is obviously deliberately carved, not natural like a shell. At first glance, it seems like a piece of dull potter, fired plain without glaze, but as she looks, it gleams with a magical energy that is not just visual but felt. Sypha lights a spark near it, and watches with widening eyes as her power shifts as it nears the stone. 

"What is it?"

"It's called Kanju. We stole it from Cho— supposedly it wasn't hers, either. It means... like when waves retreat."

"To ebb. Ebbing." Sypha defines, putting out her spark and instead drawing water near it. The water shifts outside of her control to flow around the stone, swift as a strong current. "What else can you tell me about this? How do you use it?"

"We used it to cross the ocean." Sumi says matter-of-factly. "Sometimes by walking, sometimes on a raft. It worked best with both awake and using the stones, but we took shifts sometimes to sleep."

"Why was it better with both?"

She cocks her head slightly, chewing on her lip. "Mmm... the stones are different— different from each other. They go," her voice trails off, searching for the right word.

"Directions?" She sketches in the wax tablet Sypha uses for lessons, drawing a line pointed one way and the other pointed the opposite way.

"Interesting." Sypha says, in the that dreamy tone. "Let me think about this, okay? I'll think of things to ask you and Taka about them."

Sumi can't hide the shock in her expression when Sypha hands the stone back with no hesitance, half staring into the hair and half absentmindedly scrabbling for a pen to write with. Does she not understand? The power of the stone? Why does she seem to grasp at the potential might of it? She leaves the room, tucking the stone back into her tunic. Sypha takes no notice.

*

Alucard is in the ruins of the Belmont estate, or what was the ruins. Most of the rubble and burned wood have been removed, half by Trevor and half by himself. Only a few things survive— a deep relief of Christian crosses. He flicks one, thinking of his collection of iconography, the pet project of petty child. Why had he been so cruel to his father— not that a cross could have truly hurt him, but it was the idea of it. 

He knew enough, had been taught enough about Christianity to understand how it had developed over the long centuries, partly taught by his father, his rage and contempt barely disguised. And his mother, quiet and clear, letting it be known how important the religion was, how important it was to be knowledgeable about it.

So he knew, for example, that Christ's dual nature was not the original or rather _sole_ understanding of that person. And yet, he could deny the power in that concept. Was he not part man, part something more? His father wielded the powers of a god. His mother might not have been a virgin as in untouched, but rather as in pure of belief. Was he like that individual they called the Christ?

He can only shake his head at that. He's hardly a savior as the Christians understood it, nor a messiah. He cannot lead any one people. He cannot redeem or save.

Idly, he wonders just what the Speakers believe. It had not slipped his attention when Sypha referred to that individual, and not in the tone that Trevor uses to call him Jesus. She was speaking of one she thought truly good, who was an opposer. Had the Speakers split from Marcionism? Gnosticism? Some branch more arcane?

Did it matter, truly? Perhaps he was only talking circles around his mind, avoid the current of thought that wanted to think of her taste. The few swallows on raced in his blood temporarily, spending as he exerted himself, as he used his powers. Soon it would be gone from entirely.

He wants more.

He wants to compare tastes.

He needs to feel nourished by them, and to not get killed by the reckless foreigners in their midst. It is not the time to consider how his fangs could sink into Trevor's wrist, into his neck— 

Enough. Control.

Alucard smiles, wry. It would only be right for him to be tempted by the Devil. His father's devilish half racing through his veins. The dramatic thought made him wish he discuss this with Sypha... but considering the topic, he knows he cannot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient. Things in real life have gotten exciting and working on this fic has required a particular mental state.


End file.
